Top Ten Las Vegas Summer League Players

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Here's a look at the top ten players we saw at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

1. Jerryd Bayless: Who cares that him running point was like a Ben Stiller movie or that he managed so few assists his teammates almost decided to bring their own ball on the court to play catch? The kid was transcendent. Floaters, fadeaways, dunks, steals, you name it. If it's got flash, Bayless was unleashing it on someone this week.

2. Kevin Love: You know how some people's college game just doesn't transfer to the pro game? Yeah, Kevin Love won't be having that problem. Tough, resilient, with a range of moves and offensive versatility to go along with the sweetest, yes, outlet pass we've seen, Love was incredibly impressive.

3. Anthony Randolph: Youth and athleticism rules! The lanky Warrior started the week off with a bang and played solid throughout. His impressive handle really made him stand out, along with a tenacious effort on defense.

4. Donte Green: Green was kind of the forgotten draft pick this year, and he absolutely lit up Rockets' opponents with a dazzling array of dunks and aggressiveness. The kid's playing with a chip on his shoulder, and it worked.

5. DJ Augustin: Handle, speed, defense, and a high basketball IQ. That's what you want from a point guard.

6. Pops Mensa-Bonsu: Pops can't do anything else. He hustled, played great defense, and scored in a variety of ways. A team would be right to take a chance on him and save him from another year in Europe.

7. Elton Brown: The double-double machine. The Summer League is all about guys who look great one minute and terrible the next. Brown showed why he was a top player in the D-League last year with a versatile offensive skillset and a physical nature on defense that coaches love.

8. OJ Mayo: The Beale Street Miracle had a few ups and downs with his turnovers, but there's no question that when the kid works inside his offense, he has more talent than anyone else on the floor.

9. Marreese Speights: The guy was unstoppable on the boards and blocked everything in his direction -- he might be everything Samuel Dalembert was supposed to be.

10. JJ Hickson: Earned his points the hard way with very physical play in the paint.

Honorable Mention: CJ Watson, Aaron Brooks, Quincy Douby and Jason Thompson also turned heads at various points in the weekend.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

7-21-2008 @ 10:21AM

enrico said...

What about Thaddeus Young? I thought I read he was tearing it up out there.

7-21-2008 @ 12:49PM

Rob Mahoney said...

Props to Pops.

Jesse said...

How weird is the NBA gonna be in three or four years? Blazers and Grizzlies could possibly be the 2 strongest dynasties.. yes i said dyansties. Memphis is looking at Conley, Mayo, Gay, Arthur, and Gasol plus next years pick (which will be good because they wont have a good record this year) and THE MOST CAP ROOM PERIOD for a team. By not signing anyone this offseason the GM is a.) making even more cap room for the Summers of Stars the next 2 offseasons (think about that lineup with the addition of a Bosh, Stoudemire, Ming, Boozer, LBJ, or D-wade type who will all be free agents, and they will have enough to sign one of these AND another quality if not star player with that kinda cap room), and b.) not paying to much for a player that doesnt need to make that much and will just add enough wins to knock them down the draft board a little so instead they can add another good player through the draft and pay them a rookie salary. And the Blazers are lookin at.....

Bayless, Roy, Batum, Aldridge, Oden, Outlaw, Frye, Diogu, and Webster plus after next season they will still have Bayless, Roy, Oden, and Aldridge all under contract still but only have 23 Mill on the books!!!! So they also could add one of those huge stars during the summers of 2009 and 2010. Out of that group of free agents im guessing T-mac, Joe Johnson, Marion, Artest, or Odom would fit in good with that team. So how about that Portland and Memphis's GMs will look pretty smart in the next few years if they can catch the eye of a star or two....

And everyone know that rumor about Lebron and D-wade may be wanting to take less money and play together. I think i have come up with the perfect place for them both to go in 2010. That summer the Sonics (or whatever they are going to be called) will only have 27 Mill on their books and still have Durant, Green, and Westbrook on their roster. I really think Lebron and Wade would be willing to go play their together. It would still be a fresh new market and team (name and logo wise) for them to come in and take over. And you put LBJ, Wade, and Durant on the floor together and you have the new ( much younger ) Celtics, and a team that could possibly break Jordan's recent 6 titles run. Let me know what you think....